WORLD

Humans
Humans make up the largest population of Planet M. Their evolution from several different mammals into one sentient species was so sudden that it seemed to happen overnight, raising many questions as to the truth of their origins. The human academic community maintains they too are one of the original sentient races of Planet M, but this view is not shared by researchers amongst the Elves, who say that there is no evidence of their existence in the ancient fossil record. Human idealists suggest a teleological reason for the emergence of one species from so many disparate groups, that it marks humanity as a necessary step in some divine evolutionary plan.

Mostly ill-equipped to live in the wild, humans adapt by developing new technologies which alter the environment to their benefit. This often puts them at odds with nature, and with other nature-reverent species such as the majority of Elves, who regard their proliferation as a threat to the natural order.


Beastfolk
In the aftermath of the Great Catastrophe, civilizations collapsed, cities were destroyed, and humans were scattered to the corners of the globe. The unstable climate of the new world placed tremendous selection pressures on the remaining populations, and eventually special adaptations emerged amongst the humans, remanifestations of the mammals from which they had evolved. Although they appear mostly human, most have distanced themselves culturally - some would say spiritually as well - from their evolutionary cousins.


Elves
One of the earliest sentient species of Planet M, the Elves are humanoid beings which evolved from primordial tree life, evident in their tall, graceful forms and their use of photosynthesis, which greatly enhances their physical and cognitive abilities during the daylight hours. They possess a beauty that is revered by all the other races, and are naturally gifted negotiators. The Elves are credited with established one of the earliest organized societies. They are the originators of the arts of magic and summoning, having passed down the knowledge to other races over the years. When human expansion began to threaten Elven sovereignty, and war between the races was imminent, the elves unexpectedly chose to renounce their civilization, abandoning their fantastic cities to create a new life closer to nature. The ruins of their great cities can still be found buried all across the planet.


Lillia
The Lillia, one of the original sentient races, are small fur-covered humanoids said to have evolved from prehistoric arachnids. They are known across the world for their unique syncretic craftsmanship, blending technologies borrowed from the other races with their own original works. Finding it difficult to live amongst the other races, due to exploitation of their diminutive size, and because of their "bug-like" appearance, most Lillia retreated to underground habitats, dealing with the people of the surface world through liasons.

A large number of them have found ideological brethren in the castaways of Laconia, collaborating with them to build the Undercity amongst the Federation's abandoned aqueduct system. Under President Ilyana Martel, the Lillia were granted sovereignty, and the Undercity was declared an independent territory, provided that any travel to or trade with Laconia would be tightly regulated. For example, it is a breech of the agreement for the Undercity to harbor Laconian fugitives. It is uncertain what the Laconian president received in return, but there is little doubt that the Federation was the primary benefactor in the exchange.


Jotuns
The Jotuns are a species of giants said to have evolved from the mountain stone, due to the influence of a mysterious and powerful magic from time uncounted. Enslaved early by the Harken, and used as enforcers of their rule. Due to their alliance with the Harken during that civilization's last stand, many were killed, and the rest were driven into hiding. During the Age of the Phaedrians they were persecuted alongside their former masters, their supernatural strength deemed a threat to the new balance of power.

They currently thrive in several hidden refuges throughout planet M, known collectively as Jotunheim. Occasionally Jotuns appear amongst the mainstream populous to offer unique cutting edge technologies to the highest bidder. They usually only remain for a short time as their appearance tends to cause quite a stir.


Automata
The Automata are a race of sentient machines created by the Phaedrians thousands of years ago to serve numerous functions throughout their highly advanced society. After the Great Collapse, the Automata lost their original purpose, and had to create their own. The deaths of their creators instilled in them the desire to preserve life and culture, and to that avail they have become the stewards of civilization, serving as laborers, protectors, servants, and record keepers. The Automata vary greatly in size, shape, and complexity.


Elementals
The first elementals are beings that emerged from the ancient ethers when the world was still forming, said to be born from the consciousness of the planet itself. They were Agni (Fire), Undine (Water), Marica (Earth), Fujin (Air), Indra (Electricity), Senecka (Sound), Hemera (Light), and Nyx (Darkness). After settling in regions suited to their particular affinities, the elementals each began to form their broods - either by mating with neighboring species to create the "born" or by imbuing them with elemental power to create the "blessed". Today, elementals bear both the traits of their bonded species and their elemental parents' control of the ether.


Ibeni
One of the original sentient races, the Ibeni are beings said to be born from the collective unconscious of all living things on the planet. They reside mostly in the Dreaming, but by entering into a spiritual contract with people of the the Material Plane, they can take a physical form corresponding to the wills and personalities of their summoners.


Harken
One of the aboriginal species of Planet M, the Harken once dominated the world, their relationship to the other races analogous to that between gods and mortals. Some legends say that the Harken were the first sentient race, and that it was by way of their magic and technology that the others came into being. This is something the other races vehemently deny, to the point of it being illegal in some territories to make such claims publicly. After the Phaedrian intervention the Harken scattered across the planet, and disappeared from the world altogether within several generations.


Phaedrians
The Phaedrians are the so-called "Divine Race", once thought to have come to Planet M from another world. Recent scholarship suggests that they were actually the result of sudden and unexplained evolutionary spikes amongst the other races, providing supernatural physical strength and mental aptitude. As such, it is theorized that a Phaedrian can emerge from any of the other races under the right conditions. Their emergence amongst the humans ended the oppressive reign of the Harken, practically wiping out the once god-like race completely. They would establish a civilization of their own, but in a relatively short time, it too collapsed, and the Phaedrians began to disappear from the world. Today, Magistrate Zoroa of Windgrace is believed to be the only one remaining.